AppleTree
dip into the mixture and raise to make
bubbles.
23) Decorate and destroy "bad guy"
balloons.
Use permanent markers to decorate
balloons with the faces of Haman and
other rotten figures from history. Fill the
balloons with water and enjoy smashing.
24) Tell a family story.
One person starts a tale, the second
continues, the third adds and so on and
so on until everyone has had a turn.
25) Take a day trip to a nearby town
that you've never visited.
26) Make healthy muffins.
Serve the muffins at break-
fast tomorrow.
27) Buy an inexpensive
lip gloss for everyone.
Visit your favorite
discount store and
treat each child to a fla-
vored lip-gloss.
(Remember when the only
choice was cherry? Now
you can find everything from
mango to almond.)
28) Build a playing-card "synagogue."
Challenge your child to use playing
cards to build his "dream synagogue."
Let him take an old deck and bend the
cards to create a much sturdier building.
29) Play "what if."
Ask your child "what if" questions,
and let her do the same for you: "What
if you were able to speak with animals?"
"What if you could fly for one day?"
"What if you could be invisible for a
week?"
30) Encourage your child to teach you
something.
31) Write a family newspaper.
The paper should have stories about
what's going on with every family mem-
ber. Send it to relatives and friends.
32) Try to make your own Jewish
palindromes.
A palindrome is a sentence that reads
the same forward and backward, like
"Madam, I'm Adam."
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33) Make it a snowy day inside.
Chip ice and cover with Coke for an
instant cold drink. Cut "snowflakes" out
of paper. Make miniature snowmen
using cotton balls and felt-tip markers.
34) Imagine that your child is a guest
in your home, and treat him according-
ly for the entire clay.
names, those of your grandparents and
famous biblical figures — any names
that interest you.
35) Play with stickers.
Buy a collection of fun stickers and
ask your child to place them on paper,
then make up a story about what it
shows.
44) Take a walk, and let your child
choose the directions.
36) Take your child on an imagination
journey.
Ask her to close her eyes. Tell her you
will slowly guide her as you name and
she relaxes every part of her body. Then
take your child soaring through the
skies, over hills, through fields of flowers
(remember: go slowly and give lots of
details!) until finally she finds a
box. Inside is a present just for
her. Tell her to carefully look at
it, then close the box.
Take your child back
home (slowly). At the
end, ask if she would be
willing to tell what she
saw in the box.
37) Buy a cheese pizza for
dinner and allow everyone to
top his pieces with whatever
he finds tasty
38) Surprise your
daughter.
Ask her to come
with you on an errand,
then take her to buy a
CD she has been wanting.
39) Visit the grave of a long-
lost loved one, or simply walk
through a Jewish cemetery.
40) Do an art project with mark-
ers.
Draw with markers on a piece of
white paper. Wet a tissue and carefully
place atop the drawing, which will
absorb the colors and copy the picture.
41) Stopping nagging your child for a
day.
Go an entire day without using any of
the following words or phrases with your
child: "Don't." "How many times do I
have to ...?" "What's the matter with
you?"
42) Find something special at a toy
store.
Look for one of your favorite games
from when you were little. Then, play it
with your child.
43) Buy a book of Jewish baby names.
Learn the meaning of your own
45) Ask your child to complete this
sentence: "Here's what is important in
my life ..."
46) Have an at-home spa day for you
and your girls.
Buy an assortment of facial masques,
hair conditioners, nail polishes and
more. Then, pamper each other.
47) Check out a Jewish celebrity Web
site.
Find out the Jewish connection of all
your favorite celebrities on the Internet
at jewhoo.com
48) Write your child a love letter.
Leave it under his or her pillow.
49) Read someone else's recommended
book.
Ask your best friend or your child's
teacher about her favorite Jewish book,
then find a copy and read it.
50) Do your own cola challenge.
Buy Coke, Pepsi, Faygo
— all the colas you can
find. Pour some of each
into a cup (identify on the
bottom only). Now, chal-
lenge your family members to
correctly name each.
51) Be nice to the birds.
Make a birdhouse, or make
popcorn to take to a favorite bird
hangout.
never heard of before.
56) Create coupon books.
For this project, you will make rip a
book for your children, and have them
make one up for you. Write up
"coupons" that can be traded in for
whenever the recipient wants. Try these:
"A Night Off From Doing the Dishes,"
"No Nagging All Day," "Good For An
Ice Cream With Four Scoops."
57) Be a news reporter.
Ask your child to imagine that he's a
reporter and is witnessing an important
event in Jewish history. How would he
write his fast-breaking news story?
58) Have your child come up with 10
reasons she likes being Jewish.
59) Stay up late to look for the man-in-
the-moon.
60) Guess the item.
Fill an empty box with four non-
breakable items, but don't let your child
see. He can shake, smell and feel each
-item to guess what it is.
61) Build your dream mall from blocks.
Ask your child to decide what each
store would sell.
62) Paint a scene on a large rock for a
paperweight.
Watercolors will not work for this
project. Ask someone at an art store to
recommend a good, inexpensive paint.
Be sure to finish the rock picture with a
silicone or acrylic spray so your art will
last a long time.
63) Just sing.
For a whole hour, sing everything to
your children, rather than talk.
52) Play a long-forgotten board game.
53) Make a picture for Shabbat.
Use tiny seeds, bits of rice and buttons
to make a picture for your Shabbat
table. (This is not a project for small
children, of course, who might place
these items in their mouths.)
54) Dress up a face.
Cut out a large photograph of a face
from a magazine; or use a photocopied
picture of your child. Cut off the hair.
Now, encourage your child to make lots
of wigs for the face, each on a different
piece of paper. Use foil, ribbon and yarn
for more fun.
55) Explore the Encyclopedia Judaica.
Look through the pages of this
resource and learn about someone you've
64) Try some different recipes.
Ask a senior family member for
recipes from when he or she was young,
then fix these for dinner.
65) Check out a book of poems and
have everyone read his favorite.
66) Make up silly words that rhyme
with "Jewish."
67) Attach a self-addressed, stamped
note to a balloon.
On the card write, "Whoever finds
this, please tell me where the balloon
landed and mail this to me. Thank
you." Then, release the balloon.
68) Read a comic book aloud with your
child.